#DailyDevotion We Don’t Just Pray In Church

Hebrews 10:24-25

²⁴And let us consider how we can stimulate one another to love and to do good works. ²⁵Let us not stay away from our worship services, as some are regularly doing, but let us encourage one another, all the more because you see the day coming nearer.

You might not think we need to stimulate one another to love and to do good works, but we do. We still have the fallen flesh clinging to us even though we have been born of God, born from above. So just how might we do this? Unfortunately, I think most of us turn to the Law, in particularly the commandments to get people to live sanctified lives. The most holy commandments of the Almighty do tell us what good works God demands of us. That frees us from having to make up good works that we think are pleasing to God. But the commandments have no power to help us do them. They are ineffective in both justification and sanctification.

The problem with the commandments is ever worse than we think. Paul tells us in Romans 7, ⁸“Taking the commandment as a challenge, sin worked in me every kind of wrong desire.” Again he writes, ¹⁰ “And the commandment which is to bring life actually brought me death. ¹¹Taking the commandment as a challenge, sin seduced me and with the commandment killed me.” If we continually present the commandments to one another hoping for a more sanctified life, we won’t get that at all. We will just get bigger hypocrites. This is the way of the flesh.

Instead in chapter 8 of Romans, Paul tells us to follow the way of the Spirit. Now what is that? The way of the Spirit is presenting the Gospel, the love of God in Christ Jesus, the free gift of justification through faith in Christ, the forgiveness of sins. Paul tells us in Romans 3, ³¹“Do we then through faith cancel the Law? Never! We uphold the Law.” John tells us in his first letter, 3 ¹⁰ “This is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the payment for our sins.” and ¹⁹ “We love because He first loved us.” To to stimulate one another to love and good works we need to put in each other’s ear the good news of Jesus Christ, which converts our hearts and empowers to the will and to do the good God wants of us.

Where do we do this? Mainly we do this at our gatherings which we call “Church.” He exhorts us not to stay away from our worship service as some are regularly doing. When we do that, we separate ourselves from the love of God. The love of God is given when we hear God’s Word, the pastor’s absolution, and as our fellow Christians talk about the grace of God in Christ Jesus. We receive Christ holy body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and the perseverance and strengthening of our faith. We don’t just pray at Church like we do at home as some unbelievers think and some who have fallen away.

As we see the end of the ages drawing near, we need to be about encouraging one another to remain faithful. The devil does everything he can day and night to have us think we are not good enough, we’re hypocrites, they’re only hypocrites, that it is no use, and that we really don’t have faith in God. He brings crosses into our lives to make us think God does not love us just like Job. Instead gather with your fellow believers and hear the love God has for you in Christ Jesus.

Heavenly Father, ever gather us around the gospel of your Son Jesus Christ, that we may we encouraged to do good and encourage one another to remain faithful. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.